Digital Navigator

The Methodist Church in Britain; Birtley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Structured induction

Training and development

Job summary

Lea Wharf Medical's Digital Team is seeking a Digital Navigator on a 12-month fixed-term basis to triage eConsults and digital patient requests, routing them to the right clinician, team or service.

The role is 38 hours weekly, with weekday early shifts starting at 07:00. Training is provided, and prior primary care experience is welcome but not required.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to assess and prioritise a busy workload.
• Ability to follow agreed protocols and pathways.
• Ability to recognise when a request needs clinical input or escalation.
• Good judgement and decision-making.
• Excellent organisation and good IT skills.

Responsibilities

• Review and manage incoming eConsults and other digital patient requests, processing them efficiently.
• Direct requests to the correct clinician, team or service.
• Assess administrative and clinical requests within agreed processes and identify the right pathway.
• Book appointments where appropriate.
• Identify and escalate urgent or clinical requests in line with practice procedures.
• Monitor outstanding requests and ensure follow-up and timely updates for patients.
• Allocate work to clinicians and other multidisciplinary team members.
• Contact patients by phone, text or other approved methods, giving clear information on appointments, services and next steps.
• Support patients to access the most appropriate service and handle queries sensitively.
• Support the management of digital and administrative workflows.
• Maintain accurate patient records.
• Provide wider administrative support to the practice when required.

Skills

Communication skills

Prioritisation

Protocol adherence

Clinical escalation

Judgement

Organization & IT

Job description

Lea Wharf Medical's Digital Team is recruiting a 12-month Digital Navigator on a fixed-term basis. The post centres on triaging the growing volume of eConsult and other online patient requests, checking each one and sending it to the right clinician, team or service. Working 38 hours across weekday early shifts from 07:00, it suits someone who thrives on a fast, varied workload and sound judgement about when to escal. Prior primary care experience is welcome but not required, as structured training is provided.

What the job involves

• Review and manage incoming eConsults and other digital patient requests, processing them efficiently
• Direct requests to the correct clinician, team or service
• Assess administrative and clinical requests within agreed processes and identify the right pathway
• Book appointments where appropriate
• Identify and escalate urgent or clinical requests in line with practice procedures
• Monitor outstanding requests and ensure follow-up and timely updates for patients
• Allocate work to clinicians and other multidisciplinary team members
• Contact patients by phone, text or other approved methods, giving clear information on appointments, services and next steps
• Support patients to access the most appropriate service and handle queries sensitively
• Support the management of digital and administrative workflows
• Maintain accurate patient records
• Provide wider administrative support to the practice when required

What’s required

Skills & knowledge

• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Ability to assess and prioritise a busy workload
• Ability to follow agreed protocols and pathways
• Ability to recognise when a request needs clinical input or escalation
• Good judgement and decision-making
• Excellent organisation and good IT skills

Other

• Ability to work independently, knowing when to seek advice or support
• Understanding of confidentiality, information governance and accurate handling of patient information

Nice to have

• Previous experience in General Practice, primary care or another NHS healthcare setting
• Experience of care navigation or signposting patients to appropriate services
• Experience of working in a busy, high-volume administrative environment
• Confidence in learning and adapting to new digital systems, processes and pathways
• Experience of working alongside GPs or other clinicians in a triage or navigation process

What’s offered

• Structured induction and training on general practice, systems and local processes
• Learning and development encouraged within a supportive team